Tasmania's Unpredictable Weather

 

The weather forecast for the last couple of days sounded something like this:

“A front moves over Tasmania today, followed by another and another and then a trough forms before another front moves through. Winds will be variable 5-50 knots from the North, South, East and West. Primary swell from the northeast at 3 meters; secondary swell from the southwest at 1.5 meters.” Three separate sources (who probably all rely on the same primary computer-generated source) disagreed as to what was supposed to happen. It made it kind of hard to decide where to go to anchor and when to head north. Our take on the GRIBs wasn't any better than what the forecasters were spouting. We ended up moving from Chinaman's Bay back to Spring Bay, Triabunna when strong W/SW winds were forecast, but actually strong north/northwest winds prevailed. We waited.

Finally, everyone agreed on 2-3 days of southeasterlies 10-15 kts increasing to 15-25 kts, then decreasing again. Sounded like a forecast we wanted to believe and after delaying another day to let the northerly swells subside, we gave a tot of rum to Neptune and began our trek north, expecting a fine downwind sail. Strong easterlies made for a brisk beam reach, but a stop at world-famous Wineglass Bay seemed inadvisable. We were disappointed, but we continued on.

We made good time up the coast. The switch to SE 15-25 kts presented itself sooner than we expected, but we were sailing downwind and that was no problem. The 35-40 knot SE winds, however, had us a little more concerned. We clocked a 56 knot gust and thought this was really a bit more than advertised. The trip was … boisterous. We like that word boisterous; it covers all sorts of conditions. It's comparable to exhilarating. This portion of the passage was like a downhill sleigh ride. The northern swells hadn't quite disappeared, but the SE swells built quickly. We'd surf down one wave and then hit a mogul of a northern swell. Below decks was absolute bedlam. Some things we thought were well stowed were flying in all directions, ending in a heap on the saloon sole.

The wind was ice cold. We were all bundled up in offshore foul weather gear, extra fleeces, socks, watch caps and still the sting of the cold made itself known. Salt water spray and then rain, made the night watch miserable. A grey dawn showed little relief from the swells and wind. It's funny, but describing the seas and even taking pictures, never quite do the sea justice. When it's angry and roiling around you, crashing and careening the boat from all sides, the strength of it seems so amazing. The noise as the wind howls through the rigging is nearly deafening. Yet looking at photos after the fact, it looks like a normal day at sea.

David noted a broken sail slide on our reefed main around 10pm and we wrestled down the sail to find that two more sail slides had broken as well. We were relying on the jib alone, but it was doing just fine. Surprisingly, the autopilot was handling the seas and winds quite admirably. Though that didn't improve the bumpy ride, it was certainly better than manning the wheel as the waves broke and crashed around us.

We were heading to Lady Barron Port on Flinders Island in the Furneaux Group of islands on the eastern end of the Bass Strait. Needless to say, it was a long, sleepless night. As we approached the entrance to Lady Barren Port, a narrow, shoal-lined passage, the southeast swells were rolling in. The tides were wrong and the rollers were stacking up. It just wasn't prudent to enter and we reluctantly passed on by.

Where to now? With continued S/SE winds, we figured we'd take advantage of the winds, turn northwest and head to Deal Island. A couple of dolphins swam past … this was the right decision.

Aeolus, god of the wind, heard us discussing our plans, however. The wind began clocking to the west almost immediately. It was 15 miles back to Lady Barron Port or we needed to find shelter somewhere in the many islands of the Furneaux Group.

Stay tuned.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Groundhog's Day

This is my kind of day. We're going to watch Groundhog's Day tonight. Check out what Punxutawney Phil is doing in Pennsylvania and see if Spring's right around the corner or another six weeks away. Really...I'd be a Gobbler's Knob if I could.

Catching Up on Boat Chores

Just so you don't think we've only been playing and have forgotten our boat chores, I thought I'd catch you up a bit. The list, though manageable, changes daily with what we can manage to fix versus what breaks. The list is, of course, always longer than the time available or allotted.  

As you'll remember, when we were leaving Kettering, a minor accident knocked out the deck washdown faucet leaving a hole on the foredeck where the faucet should be. David has re-installed the faucet and repaired the deck area. While rooting around in the chain locker, however, he found that the chain pipe needs replacing … a job that will wait for Adelaide. The head problem which occurred on the same day as the faucet decapitation, was a minor adjustment and all is well in that department … thank goodness, we hate head problems (on the boat or on the body).

The new outboard engine has been broken in. David wants a new cover for it to protect it from the UV and salt. We had one for the old engine, but he's looking for a new design that incorporates a lifting harness, so that the cover can remain in place all the time.

He's made a pattern and I've gotten as far as pinning and cutting it out. It's on the to-do list for when we have power to run the sewing machine. I'll do a “how-to” blog in the future on constructing the outboard cover. It looks like it'll be a clever, convenient design and pretty easy to sew.

Jacklines had been removed when we left Cups last winter and now they've been re-installed. We make these ourselves out of webbing and buckles purchased from Sailrite. We replace them about every two years and use the old jacklines as hoists for homemade courtesy flags as well as retaining straps for on-deck fuel jugs. David also replaced the lanyards on the lifeline gate pelican hooks which were worn and frayed.

David's been working on some dinghy repairs. The velcro straps which hold the oars in place have failed. How does velcro fail, you ask? It doesn't adhere to itself any more. How does this happen? UV, salt water? We have no idea. We just know the velcro's not working any more and it's a pain. It's not easy to resew new strips of velcro on because they're attached to Hypalon rubber straps which cannot be removed. He's working on installing some twist-locks which we hope will do the trick. There's also a pesky leak in the dinghy which he's trying to track down. It's small, but bothersome.

The last batch of beer has aged its two weeks and we've begun drinking it. After all those chores, we needed some refreshment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Puzzle Day

Crossword, jigsaw, logic, mathematical, Sudoku, anagrams, word searches, ciphers, Rubik's cube...Pick your favorite and have a go

Up Tasmania's East Coast

 

The 40 mile passage to Maria Island was cold and raw, but benign. It's easy to forget it's summer here since the temps remain cool for the most part. We left Port Arthur and headed down the bay just after dawn. We could see the Tasman Island Lighthouse perched atop the ragged cliffs of the island far above us. Built in 1906, Tasman Island Light sits solitary, ~900' (278m) above the sea, making it one of the highest lighthouses in Australia. The southwest swell kicked up the sea and we had a washing machine of a ride until we rounded Tasman Island and then set our sails and headed north. The following seas and southerly winds worked in our favor for a quick ride up the coast.

Rafts of sooty shearwaters floated in our path and took off in unison as we approached. Prions hovered over the waves and a shy albatross circled above them looking for breakfast. Dolphins made a quick appearance as did sea lions, but they disappeared too quickly for photos. We spotted smoke intermittently on the treed hills ashore; the bushfires remain unchecked in some areas.

Had the day been clear, we could have spotted Maria Island much sooner, but with the smoky haze still clouding the air, we didn't spot it until we were about 15 miles away. This mountainous little island has served as a penal colony, a limestone quarry and farmland and it's now a National Park in its entirety and we were headed there for some hiking. Mount Maria at 2,333' (711m) dominates the view.

We anchored on the island's west coast in Chinaman's Bay, popular with cruisers for its comfortably shallow anchorage, white sand beaches and access to bushwalks. Unfortunately, by the time we anchored the wind was blowing near 30 kts which made the task of launching the dinghy more like flying a kite. We decided to wait. The forecast called for more of the same for the next three days, but backing to west and southwest. After a fairly calm night, the wind increased again by early morning and we opted to head across the Mercury Passage to the little town of Triabunna. Maria Island would have to wait.

Only 12 miles from anchorage to anchorage, this short trip was the stuff dreams are made of. We were close-hauled, wind 40º off the nose, but we managed to slip along in 20-25 knot winds up and across the Mercury Passage. Once in the lee of the mainland, the seas calmed and the wind clocked just enough to allow a smooth, easy passage to the anchorage in Spring Bay. We could see the entrance to the long, well-marked channel into town, but once again the shallow channel depths kept us anchored in the bay.

Changes of plan are typical for cruisers and the norm for us, in particular. You have to go with the wind and the tides and the currents … and your whims. The winds were in charge this day. We'll see what there is to see and do in Triabunna and wait for an opportunity to visit Maria Island when the winds are more cooperative.

By the way, for anyone interested in seeing Yanks try Vegemite for the first time, be sure to check the blog on Australia Day (January 26th) as we open our virgin jar and give this iconic Australian concoction a go.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Polka Dot Day

Yes, wear polka dots today...a tie, a blouse, a skirt. Boxer shorts count if you're willing to show that you're wearing them.